Asking for Flexible Hours as a Reasonable Adjustment

Small timing changes are often the easiest to agree

Shifting a start time by an hour, moving a break, or avoiding a particular shift pattern usually costs an employer far less than a structural change — and it is often what actually helps. Ask for the smallest change that removes the barrier.

Say what the timing problem is

Be specific about when the difficulty occurs: early mornings, rush-hour travel, long unbroken periods at a screen, late shifts followed by early ones, or medication timing. An employer can only work with the pattern you describe.

Changes people commonly ask about

• • A later start and a correspondingly later finish, keeping total hours the same.
• • Fixed rather than rotating shifts, or a minimum gap between shifts.
• • More frequent short breaks instead of one long one.
• • Appointments scheduled without using annual leave, where the employer allows it.
• • Avoiding a specific shift type, with agreed cover arrangements.
• • Phased hours when returning after a period of absence.

State whether hours and pay stay the same

Managers usually want to know this in the first paragraph. If you are proposing the same total hours in a different arrangement, say so clearly. If you are asking for a reduction, say what reduction and for how long.

Cover, and how you would handle it

Set out how the hours you would no longer be present for would be covered — earlier handovers, a colleague swap already discussed, or moving specific tasks. A proposal that anticipates the operational objection is far more likely to be agreed.

Adjustment or flexible working?

If the reason relates to a health condition or disability, it is normally handled as an adjustment. If it is about life outside work, the statutory flexible working route on GOV.UK is usually the right one. Say which you are making so it is dealt with correctly.